Jury Finds Sen. Stevens Guilty of Failing to Report Gifts

A federal jury found Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens guilty today of accepting and concealing tens of thousands of dollars in free home renovations and other gifts, a felony conviction that likely spells the end of a legendary Senate career.

Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator, already faced a competitive challenge from Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, and election observers have said that Stevens’s political fate likely rested with the jury’s verdict. The jury convicted Stevens on all seven counts brought by federal prosecutors.

“In the polls that I’ve seen, it’s all about what happens in the trial,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Ensign of Nevada said last week at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. “I think that if Ted Stevens, if the trial comes to a conclusion and as he believes that he is found innocent I think that he will win that election up there. If it goes the other way, obviously, it really won’t matter what happens in the election.”

If Stevens is re-elected and chooses not to resign, the Senate eventually will hold hearings to decide if he should be expelled. Traditionally, however, the Senate has not initiated that process until a lawmaker has exhausted his legal options on appeal, a process that could take several years.

The verdict further damaged Senate Republicans’ prospects to hold onto Republican-held seats when voters head to the polls next Tuesday. Democrats currently hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate, which is expected to grow by at least three to four seats. “I don’t think anybody realized it was going to be this tough of a cycle,” Ensign said.

Stevens is only the fifth sitting senator ever to be convicted of a crime, and the first since 1981. The verdict comes just eight days before Election Day.

Over a four-week trial, prosecutors told jurors that Stevens received more than $250,000 in free home renovations and gifts from an oil-services executive and other friends, and never reported the items on his Senate disclosure forms.

Stevens has firmly denied any wrong-doing, arguing that he paid every bill he received for the renovations and exercised little oversight on the project because his wife was in charge of the bills. Stevens took the stand in his own defense, and in dramatic and sometimes confrontational testimony, he struggled to explain coherently why the government’s allegations were untrue.

Given his age, clean record and long history of public service, it is unlikely that Stevens will receive a long prison sentence, if any jail time at all.

UPDATE: Alaska Gov. and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin issued a statement late Monday afternoon. “This is a sad day for Alaska and for Senator Stevens and his family,” she said. “The verdict shines a light on the corrupting influence of the big oil service company that was allowed to control too much of our state. It was part of the culture of corruption I was elected to fight. And that fight must always move forward regardless of party or seniority or even past service.

“As Governor of the State of Alaska, I will carefully monitor this situation and take any appropriate action as needed. In the meantime, I ask the people of Alaska to join me in respecting the workings of our judicial system.

“I’m confident Senator Stevens will do what’s right for the people of Alaska.”

UPDATE: In a statement, Ensign said it was a “sad day” for the Senate and expressed disappointment to see the Alaska senator’s career “end in disgrace.” He added, “Sen. Stevens had his day in court and the jury found he violated the public’s trust – as a result he is properly being held accountable. This is a reminder that no one is above the law.”

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